TOKYO -- A Mainichi Shimbun investigation has revealed that 12 out of Japan's 47 prefectural police forces had no whistleblower reports from officers or general staff between fiscal years 2020 and 2024. Additionally, seven prefectural police departments reported only one case in the same period. An expert said that this situation is "unbelievable."
Most prefectural police forces have thousands of employees, and the expert pointed out that "having zero reports at this scale is unbelievable, indicating that the system is not functioning." The investigation suggests that the whistleblower system is largely ineffective in many police departments.
Osaka Prefectural Police, with over 20,000 employees, had just 1 report
The whistleblower system allows employees to report workplace misconduct, leading to investigations and corrective actions. Reports can be made internally to the workplace or externally to supervisory agencies or media outlets.
The Mainichi conducted a survey in November and December 2025, asking the 47 prefectural police forces about the number of internal reports and how they disseminate information about the reporting system. The Mainichi also interviewed the inspection departments, which serve as the reporting points for each police force.
The survey found that 12 prefectural police forces -- Aomori, Fukushima, Niigata, Nagano, Shiga, Wakayama, Tottori, Shimane, Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki and Okinawa -- received zero internal reports over five years. Seven other...
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